Rise Up, Sun Girls, Rise Up
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, days 1051-1057: Seven years, seven days, for Nora P. Fabray, her best friend, and the girl she loves. - Sunshine Girls offshoot - Nora AU!Beth
1. Eleven

_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 50th cycle. Now cycle 51!_

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**"Rise Up, Sun Girls, Rise Up"  
Nora (AU!Beth), Emily (OC), & Grace (OC) - age 11  
Sunshine Girls series (spin-off like)  
_(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)_**

**1. Eleven**

It was her stepmother who had thought it would be both incredibly beneficial and completely adorable for her to go and start taking ballet lessons, which had then turned to Emily's mother thinking it would be great for her as well. They were all of four years old when they started. Those early days, early years, were not the easiest. Neither girl took easily to the discipline involved, but their having each other had saved it. Eventually they had adapted, and they improved. They were by no means going to make a career of it, but they kept at it and they were good.

When Grace Mackenna and her family had moved in across the street from Nora's house – her mother and stepfather's house – it wasn't long that the two girls were talking, making friends. It was on one day's discoveries that she learned something wonderful: Grace did ballet as well. Nora had floated the idea that she could join her class.

These ideas were put on the shelf when both Nora's mother and stepmother had gone and had their babies, her sisters, on the same day, one of them needing surgery right away, but when she'd spoken to Grace next, telling her what had happened, Nora had learned that the Scottish girl had signed up and would be joining her and Emily.

It came to be that Saturday morning arrived, and they all met at the dance studio. Nora had been there first, then Emily. They got ready, and they were talking when they heard the other girls react to something. They looked up to find it had been Grace's arrival that caused a stir. Emily had already met her, and it hadn't been long that they had bonded as well. "What's their problem?" Emily frowned, staring at the others.

"Probably because I'm new," Grace shrugged.

Before long they got to figuring out it wasn't just that she was new. Grace was by no means overweight, not even close. But compared to the other girls, all of them longer and leaner, Grace, with what could only be qualified as baby fat, stood out. She was plainer looking than most of them, and while it didn't concern her or her two friends, to the others it seemed to warrant whispers and laughter. Once they had picked up on it, Nora and Emily felt terrible.

"Just forget about them," Nora told her, absently placing herself between Grace and the girls at the other end of the room.

"They don't bother me," Grace spoke calmly, standing and waiting for their class to start. As they waited, Nora couldn't help sneaking glances to the other girls. They were still doing as they'd been doing, and it only bothered her more. It may not have been bugging Grace, but Nora never took kindly to people talking about her friends.

And then their teacher had arrived, and one of the girls on the other side, Laurie, had raised her hand. "Ms. Isabelle, there's a new girl."

"Indeed there is. Everyone, say hello to Grace, who will be joining us." There was a chorus of hellos, and Grace bowed her head. "I'm sure she'll…"

"Shouldn't she show us what she can do," Laurie went on, and by the swallowed smirks of her friends, it appeared they didn't have too much confidence in the new girl's abilities.

"Can I hit her?" Emily muttered to Nora.

"Me first…" Nora returned, but even before the teacher was able to respond to Laurie…

"Sure, I don't mind, I'd love to," Grace had spoken up. The teacher, barely controlling her class at this point, had looked to her new student.

"Wonderful then, please…" she indicated the floor. Grace had turned to Emily and whispered something to her, which sent the girl to sit at the piano.

Nora had been left to stand back, like all the other girls, though as she stood on her own, it could almost feel like the performance was directed at her.

She knew Grace would be fantastic even before she started. There was just something in the way she stood, waiting to start, that let you know you were about to see something special… and it was. Nora and Emily may have gotten by on 'good,' but Grace was… superb, precise, elegant, and she certainly wore her name well… she was graceful. She could do things most if not all of them could only dream of achieving so far.

Nora had this sensation inside her as she watched the flame-haired girl move, like her heart could see it all and it couldn't sit still… She was really kind of stunning, and Nora had no other way to express how it affected her but to say it made the hairs on the back of her neck snap up. Now she knew why Grace wasn't worried, why the usually fairly shy girl had taken a chance: she knew she'd blow them all away.

When she had finished, everyone stood in silence before Nora led them into applause. Grace sauntered back to her side, blushing deep red, up to her ears. "I don't know what came over me… I wasn't showing off, was I?"

"Oh, please, you had to," Nora told her, stuck on a smile. "That was perfect! That'll show her."

"Laurie's face right now… Thank you," Emily was laughing as she returned. The other two looked back, finding what she meant. Laurie had been shown up… her fault. "You were amazing."

"Thank you," Grace smiled.

"You really were," Nora told her, and her smile widened. "I had no idea, I mean you said you'd been doing ballet, too, but…"

"My brothers did, too, when they were little… don't tell them I told you," Grace beamed.

At the end of the class – which had promptly stopped its whispering and laughing after Grace's display – all three girls were to be picked up by Quinn and taken back to her house. Baby Hailey would be at home with Nana Judy.

"Mom, you should have seen Grace dance, she was so good," Nora told her mother as they were all buckling up. "She's the best one in the class," she decided. Grace's ears had just started losing their red color, but it was renewed by Nora's compliments. "I'm really glad you're with us now," Nora told her, and she smiled.

"Me, too."

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	2. Twelve

**"Rise Up, Sun Girls, Rise Up"  
Nora, Emily, & Grace [Age 12]**

**2. Twelve**

That her mother wouldn't leave her on her own with her little sister Hailey at first had nothing at all to do with her competence or their trust in her. Their only concern, as natural as it was, had to do with the aftermath of her surgery. She was perfectly fine, but there was still the fear that she might get sick somehow at some point and Nora would be stuck on her own with her, without help.

Eventually they had moved past that fear, which had thus led to this day, where twelve-year-old Nora got to look after both of her one-year-old sisters, Hailey and Hannah. She wouldn't be left to the task alone though, having her two best friends there to back her up. Her parents were already gone by the time the two girls arrived. Nora had taken her sisters out on the front lawn, knowing they liked the grass under their feet. She held one by the hand at each side, walking them about, slowly. She had turned then to find Grace running down her front path, stopping, checking both ways before crossing and continuing to run up to them.

"Hi," she breathed. Nora grinned.

"Hey," she replied, looking down to her sister as she remembered she had no free hands to wave at her.

"Is Em here yet?" Grace asked, kneeling to hold her arms out for one of the tots to come for her. Hannah gave a smile that forever confirmed her as the daughter of Rachel Berry as she moved up and Grace embraced her. Nora got down to sit as well, bringing Hailey in her lap.

"She'll be here soon," Nora had barely gotten to say before she saw the yellow bike rolling up the street. "Scratch that, she's here." The closer she got, the more they could see her face had about five different shades of upset. "What's wrong?" Nora asked when her friend had parked up her bike and come to join them.

"Nothing, just parent stuff," Emily shrugged, picking at a clump of dirt on her shoe, stuck in the tracks. Nora had reached to tap her arm and make her look up. When she did, Nora gave her a look as though to ask if she wanted to talk about it. Emily just shrugged, lying back on the lawn.

"So… what do we do?" Grace turned to the blonde. Nora hesitated, looking to her bummed out friend. She couldn't exactly do whatever she wanted, since they had her sisters, and they couldn't leave the house.

Grace had taken some initiative, scooting up to deposit Hannah at Emily's side. She may only have been a year old, but she had no problem cheering people up. As soon as she had been dropped by Emily, who was her buddy if she ever had one, the brown-haired girl had stretched out her arms, giving noises they knew meant she wanted to be picked up. It tugged a smile out of Emily in a heartbeat, and she snatched her up, holding her near. Nora looked back to Grace, holding a hand out – well played. Grace laughed, bowing her head.

Eventually, Emily had explained how her parents, who she had not seen face to face in eight and a half months now, had to push back flying her over for a visit for another few months, anywhere from two to six. She knew this whole job they had came with its limitations, which was why they had left her with her aunt and uncle, but she could only take so much, and now it felt like her aunt and uncle were more of parents than her mother and father had ever been to her. Now she was getting so close to not caring if she saw them or not, which made her feel rotten, but she couldn't help it, especially now.

From this, both Nora and Grace had decided today, on top of being "sistersit" day, would be "happy Emily" day, one way or another. The first step, to Grace's hesitant and grossed out agreement, had been to have the pizza they'd order for lunch be covered with anchovies. Emily had been pleased, as she would be, perhaps even more as she saw the face Grace made when they slid a slice in her plate. She squeaked, staring at it. "You can try…" Nora teased, pulling one bit from her slice and holding it out to Grace, who jumped, shaking her head.

"Just take them off then," Emily told her, tapping an empty spot in her own plate. "More for me."

"But it was on there, and… it soaks in…" Grace mimed.

"I'll bite, you'll bite," Nora offered.

"You've had them?" Grace asked, and Nora shook her head. Grace frowned, looking to her plate. "Fine…"

Emily smirked, and Nora picked up her slice, waiting for the red-head to do the same. When she did, fingers poised like she was ready to drop it at any second, she looked back to Nora, who promptly took her bite. Backed up against the wall with the challenge, Grace had breathed out and took a bite as well.

Emily's eyes darted from one to the other and back as they chewed. It took no more than five seconds for the verdict to come down as hard as she'd tried to stay strong, Nora's face took a turn for misery, and as soon as she'd swallowed, she had a coughing fit, dropped her slice, and took a gulp of soda. As for the squirming Mackenna girl, her brows had jumped up, and finishing her first bite had been followed with a second.

"Not bad…" she commented as she chewed.

"What?" Nora coughed, and Emily burst out laughing. "You can't be…"

"Are you going to finish that?" Grace pointed to her plate, and the dumbfounded Nora nudged it to her.

"All yours…" she granted it, and Grace was all smiles, then after a beat…

"What will you eat then?" she asked, carrying on eating her first slice. "You can have the crust…"

"It's okay, not that hungry anymore," she made a face. After a moment, once she'd recovered from the anchovy attack, she was at least relieved to find Emily had been amused by the whole thing. Maybe she'd get her appetite back for phase two of their plan.

Now that Hannah and Hailey had been put down for their nap, they would settle down for the movie marathon to end all. This day may yet have turned into a sleepover. So while Emily had volunteered to put together the snacks that would spread across the coffee table, Nora and Grace stood at the wall in the living room for a movie raid.

"This one for sure," Nora pulled one. Grace showed her another, and she smiled. "Perfect," she nodded. "Couple more…" Grace pulled one halfway, then put it back. Nora looked to her.

"The end made her cry, remember?" Grace explained and Nora gasped, remembering.

"Yeah, no, can't have her cry today." They paused and looked to one another, and the thought was immediate: comedy. In ten seconds, they'd each pulled out about six or seven more movies each. They looked at their collected pile and they blinked.

"We'll never get through all of those…" Grace told her.

"We'll get as far as we can," Nora shrugged. "If we can help, you know?" Grace smiled, nodding. "Plus when my sisters wake up, it's gonna get loud…"

Soon, the three girls sat huddled together on the ground, the table of snacks before them and the column of movies at Emily's side. She had the choice as to what movie they'd watch next. As Nora had warned, they were eventually joined by the pair of one-year-olds. What had started out as one thing had become another, but in the end, everyone had gotten what they needed. Hannah and Hailey had been cared for, and Emily had been returned a smile by her best friends.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	3. Thirteen

**"Rise Up, Sun Girls, Rise Up"  
Nora, Emily, Grace [Age 13]**

**3. Thirteen**

They hadn't all wanted to join the talent show, not at first. It had been Nora's idea, and after some brief attempts to convince them, Emily and Grace had come on board as well. They weren't without talent. Grace had her dancing, Emily played the piano, Nora played guitar, and of course they danced, too. They had decided showcasing as many of their skills as possible would be their way of standing out.

They had gathered at her other house, her father and stepmother's house, where they had the piano in the basement, and a space to dance. There they had worked on and on, preparing their act. Finally, the day had come for them to try it out, for the first time in the costumes Grace's mother had made them.

"She's genius, this is perfect," Nora gasped happily as she observed herself in the mirror, turning about. She stretched about, miming her dance, then stood with her arms raised as though she held her guitar, Harper. It got a laugh out of her, and she reached up to twist her hair about, debating on how to do it up.

"I don't know about this." Nora turned to find Emily had stepped out in her own costume. Nora smirked as she watched her approach, hesitant.

"You look great," she promised, smiling. She reached up to push the girl's dark hair around her shoulders. "You should do like a braid, let it hang over your shoulder," she indicated of her friend's lengthening hair.

"If I have to wear makeup, you'll have to do it or I'll just look like a clown," Emily frowned.

"Oh, like I'm some kind of expert," Nora frowned right back, and they laughed. "We can get my stepmother to do it, she knows…"

"This is okay… Right? It's not too… I don't know…" Grace asked as she hesitantly stepped out.

"Grace, wow…" Emily blinked as they turned to look at her. "You look like a fluffy crystal… That's a good thing!" she was quick to add when she saw the flare of panic in her blue eyes, and Grace breathed out. "Right?" Emily looked to Nora.

When she was five years old, Nora and all her parents had gone on vacation, to Disneyland, and there had been one pool where the water was absolutely frigid. But Nora was just getting to the point where she was comfortable swimming, even jumping in the water, and before her parents could stop her, she'd jumped in. It felt like the breath had been yanked out of her along with any sort of coherent thought… It felt like that now, as she caught sight of Grace in her costume.

Two years that girl had been in her life, and they had been friends, and maybe it was that they were younger and now they were embarking into their teen years, but all of a sudden it had all hit her. It had been there, inside her, it hadn't just come out of the blue. It was like she had blurry vision and she'd been handed glasses… Was it really what she…

"Hey, hello?" She blinked when Emily tapped her arm, and the air rushed back in her lungs, haphazardly, unexpectedly. "You okay?"

"Uh?" she turned to her, then Grace again, which made her startle. "Yes?" She doubted she'd heard the question. She could barely function as it was. "Sorry, I just, I… I forgot, I have to babysit my sister…"

"It's alright, just get her and bring her here," Grace smiled and nodded.

"No, but uh… She's got a cold, you know, so I wouldn't want you guys catching it," Nora explained, moving to stuff her clothes in her bag before turning to them. "Text you later, okay?" she dashed up out of Grace's home, across the street and through the yard before heading into her house.

"Nora, is that you?" her mother's voice sounded from somewhere off in the back.

"Yeah, have to change, can't show you yet, no peeking!" she called back as she ran up the stairs and into her room, shutting the door. She stood there, breathing in and out while she felt her heart doing flips in her chest she wasn't sure were for the run she'd just taken, or for the revelation she had just come upon.

She was confused, more than ever, but at the same time she'd never felt better, which only made her more confused. She liked Grace, 'liked her' liked her, maybe loved? No, it couldn't be, that'd be too soon, right? What did she know? Yes, she'd known for a few years now that she was attracted to girls, not boys; she'd even told her parents about it almost a year ago. But that was one thing, separate in and of itself, compared to this thing with her and Grace, whatever it was.

She sat back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. What was she supposed to do now? As far as she knew, Grace showed no kind of… inclination toward girls, so how was she meant to…

Her phone pinged, and she reached in her bag by reflex. It was from Emily. _'What happened?'_ Nora sighed, typing.

'_Nothing, just forgot I had to go,'_ she hit send… and two seconds later she heard the tone of the message being received… on the other side of her bedroom door. She closed her eyes. "Come on in," she called out, and the door opened. Emily walked in, phone in hand still. She stopped and Nora sat up. "How'd you know?"

"That you lied? Please…" Emily snorted. "So?" she asked. Nora looked to her.

She hadn't told her yet. It wasn't that she didn't trust her, or think she would take it the wrong way, just… But she wanted to tell her, and she was her best friend, lifelong best friend, so…

"I need to talk to you about something," she started, and as she could expect, Emily had already gotten all she needed to know from her tone. She came and sat, both girls facing one another. "What'd you tell Grace?" she asked, thinking of the girl across the street.

"Said I left my phone here and I had to get it. She's waiting for me to come back. Maybe you could come with me… We can come up with something and you can come back. I'll let you do my hair…" she tried to sound inviting, and it got a small smile out of the blonde.

"Maybe… I don't know…"

"Hey… What's wrong?" Emily asked.

"Nothing's… wrong, it's not like that, I just…" she took a breath, trying to think of where to start. "I should have just told you… before… I don't…" she shook her head, laughing at herself and her lack of words. She'd had the same problem with her parents… Why couldn't it be easier this time?

"It's okay, you…" Emily started, and then Nora knew what she'd have to do to get it out. Just dive in…

"I like girls," she blurted out, then paused, realizing she'd done it. She looked to Emily, waiting to see what would happen. It had come out of nowhere, and Emily reacted accordingly, needing a moment to process.

"You like girls," she repeated, and Nora nodded. "Just girls, or do you like both?" she asked like she needed to make sure she had it right. Now Nora shook her head. "So… you're a lesbian, that's what you're saying."

"Yep…" Nora replied after a beat.

"And that's why you ran off?" Nora shrugged. Emily thought for a moment, then she stood. "Your nana came over to help, and she told you to just go back and she'd take care of your sister," she held out her hand to her best friend. Nora smiled, letting herself get pulled up to her feet.

"So we're o…" she started, and Emily turned back to her.

"Nora, don't get weird on me, what makes you think we'd ever be not okay… Dork," she smirked, hugging her. Nora let out a breath, smiling in her shoulder. "Wait… You don't have a crush on me, do you?"

"I don't think I could handle it," Nora smiled as they headed back down the stairs.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	4. Fourteen

**"Rise Up, Sun Girls, Rise Up"  
Nora, Emily, Grace [age 14]**

**4. Fourteen**

When the opportunity had come for her stepmother to return to Broadway, Nora had been more than on board for her to take it. Never mind the fact that the role was perfect for her, a dream really, Nora knew she was craving it. She had given it all up, all she'd dreamed of for so long, to stay in Lima after Hannah was born. She had stayed for Quinn, to help care for the ailing Hailey. She had stayed for Nora, so she and Hannah would get to grow properly as sisters who would cherish and care for one another. But now this had been achieved, and the time had come for Rachel Berry to take Broadway back.

This didn't change the fact that, unlike when she was very little, Nora couldn't come along with her, and her father, and her sister, and the separation had been hard on the fourteen-year-old. They had been apart before, just not for a few years now. As a compromise, if not to make up for it, Nora was promised a summer in New York with them.

She had been there, with her family, for almost two weeks, the morning she woke up to find she wasn't alone. She opened her eyes, vaguely hearing her name, in a playful demand that she wake up, and their faces were right there: her two best friends… She squeaked, startled, scrambled to her knees on her bed to hug them and they toppled over in a laughing heap.

"What are you doing here?" Nora asked, struggling for air, between the laughter and the weight of them. They moved, enabling them to sit up.

"We didn't do anything, it was your moms, both of them," Emily nodded.

"They said we could come up and spend as much time as we wanted," Grace continued.

"I was just kidding when I said all summer, but my parents said yes, Grace's did, too, and your parents, so… I mean, a summer in New York…" Emily looked to Nora with a grin, and the blonde was beside herself… This was more than she could have ever hoped for. A summer with her friends, in the city…

Now that she knew, her stepmother's attitude these last few days made sense… She had to hold the secret, no matter that she was excited, so before she could go and help her friends settle in, Nora had gone to thank her stepmother, hugging her with a good squeeze. There she had been turned messenger, running back to inform Emily and Grace that they had tickets, that night, front and center to see her show. After she'd told them, the plan was clear: they needed something special to wear.

The three girls headed out, guided by Nora. Emily was fascinated by all she saw, while Grace looked terrified she'd lose the others and get lost. Nora held her hand, and she calmed down. They walked along for a while after getting out of the subway, stopping here and there before they could find a shop for their dresses.

"How formal is this?" Emily asked as they looked through the racks.

"We're not meeting the queen," Nora frowned to her. "Here, how's this?" she held out a dress, turning to Grace… who had moved from her side. "Grace?" She spotted her, looking over another rack. "Did you find something?" she asked as she and Emily approached her. Grace jumped, and the way her eyes turned down now, they realized she hadn't in fact been looking at the dresses though now she pretended to. The other two looked over the rack.

"Yeah, she found something," Emily smirked, while Grace's ears lit up bright red. Beyond the rack they saw a girl and her mother, browsing, and a boy about their age, standing by, looking terminally bored. "He's cute," Emily smiled.

"Keep your voice down!" Grace whispered.

"Why don't you go talk to him?" Emily went on.

"O-oh, no, I…"

"Didn't your mother tell you not to talk to strangers?" Nora spoke up, after having been pointedly quiet up until then. She pulled the girls back to the previous rack, pulling a sea green dress and presenting it to Grace. "Here… this will look great on you, I know," she nodded. Grace looked at it, hesitantly, but then she took it to the changing room.

"What the hell?" Emily asked, once they were alone. Nora sighed, going back to the rack. "Why didn't you let her try? It's not like she ever gets the nerve up…"

"I don't know…" she shrugged. "Anyway, that guy wouldn't have been good to her, and then how would she have reacted?"

"Okay?" Emily still looked confused, but she let it go, and Nora breathed something like a sigh of relief.

Grace may have been a shy, fretful thing, but that didn't change the fact that she was fourteen, and starting to notice boys more and more. She only really talked with Nora and Emily about it; any attempts to approach said boys were nothing short of awkward. Nora tried to be supportive about it, though every time all it ever did was to remind her of two things: that she was more positive each day that she loved Grace, and that she would end up getting her heart broken.

"Oh, how about this? For you…" Emily pulled a black dress and held it up to Nora. The blonde blinked, remembering where they were. She picked up the dress, looked to it, then she nodded.

"Okay," she moved to change.

"Oh, I think I found one!" Emily called from outside. "I'll be in the next room!"

Though they would all try on other dresses, in the end, Grace and Nora both chose their first pick, while Emily went with her second, white with a black sash. By that night, they would all be ready to go and excited, Nora too, once she'd kicked her bad mood. The fact that her friends were here with her would just win out.

Arriving at the theater, with tickets in hand and greetings from the usher who knew Nora by sight, Emily and Grace were already this side of star struck. "Do we get to go backstage after?" Emily asked.

"Of course," Nora laughed. "I'll give you the tour," she promised.

The show went by, and even if she had already seen it by now, when her stepmother came on stage, Nora couldn't help but smile and watch her… She belonged on that stage and, watching her, Nora only felt like maybe one day she'd like to be there, too… Maybe not in a musical, but definitely on stage…

The show ended and, as promised, she took her friends backstage. Her stepmother showed them her dressing room, introduced them to some of the cast and crew. She would take them to get something to eat once she was changed, so Nora took them to see the stage. They ended up sat on the edge, staring out at the empty seats.

"This place is massive…" Grace breathed, amazed by all of it. "It's beautiful…"

"We definitely need to see more of these," Emily nodded.

"We've got the whole summer," Nora beamed.

"Tomorrow, we play tourist," Emily decided.

"You are tourists," Nora chuckled, and she smirked.

"Then we'll be convincing."

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	5. Fifteen

**"Rise Up, Sun Girls, Rise Up"  
Nora, Emily, Grace [age 15]**

**5. Fifteen**

When Nora and Emily had entered McKinley, they would have to do, as they'd been doing, without Grace. She went to private school and she would usually show up at Nora's or Emily's house still in her uniform when they got together in the afternoon.

Lately though, she wouldn't come over. She'd say she had some things to do and she couldn't make it. Nora lived across the street though, and looking out her bedroom window, she could see the house. She started to realize something was off when it dawned on her that Mr. and Mrs. Mackenna's cars were there, every day this week, when they should have been gone a few hours more.

"Something's wrong…" she breathed, letting the curtains go. She turned back to Emily, who had picked up Harper and was strumming her strings as she laid back on the bed, head over the edge. Nora took the guitar away.

"Hey!" Emily turned over.

"Were you listening?" Nora sighed.

"Just because cars are there?" Emily frowned, confused.

"We should go over there…" Emily kept frowning. "Fine, I'll go…" she headed out.

"Wait, wait…" Emily sighed, running after her. "Don't… At least leave the guitar…"

When they crossed the street, Nora was sure she'd seen Grace up at her window, which was confirmed when she came out the front door just as they were coming up the path. "What are you doing here?" she asked, shutting the door behind herself.

"Your parents are home…" Nora started.

"Packing…" Grace stated, and the silence hung over them. The redhead looked ready to cry, and her friends were not that far behind once it all started sinking in.

"What?" Nora's voice sounded like it would give out at any second. "Packing…"

"My father's job is sending him back home to Scotland," she began to explain. "So we're going back, all of us. My mother's trying to have us stay… They've been arguing for days. He'll pack, she'll unpack, and then they'll yell, it's… it's a nightmare…" Now the tears came good and proper.

"Come stay with me," Emily offered. "They already took in one kid, and you practically live at our house sometimes," she shrugged. She was hoping to cheer her up, and it worked for all of two seconds.

"I can go talk to them," Nora looked to the house, determined. Grace's response was to hug her, and it broke her down.

"I have to go back in, just… I'll keep you posted, okay?" Grace nodded, going back in the house. Left standing there, Emily looked back to Nora. The blonde turned and started on her way down to her house.

"Guess we all belong together, right? Not one of us has parents who can just stay in one city, one country…" Emily spoke, following her. At Nora's silence, she let out a breath. "Sorry, I know what it'll mean to you if she goes," she spoke seriously and Nora looked over. "You really like her, I get it." The blonde gave a quick smile, wiping at her tears.

"Wish it was that easy…"

Over the next week, it was hard not to keep thinking of the situation at the Mackenna house. There weren't many updates to be given, but Nora and Emily waited. Then one night, as she was helping four-year-old Hailey into her PJs after giving her a bath, Nora heard the doorbell. She put on a gasp for the tiny girl, wrapping a towel around her wet hair, and she giggled. "Visitors?" she asked her sister.

"Visitors," Hailey repeated.

"Come on, Shorty," Nora picked her up to head down and see who was there. "Grace?" she stopped when she saw her.

"You girls go and talk," Finn told her, having answered the door, and he headed off after taking Hailey and moving back up to her room. Nora led Grace into the living room and they sat.

"So… when are you leaving?" Nora asked, sensing that was what she was about to say. Grace took a breath.

"I think my parents are going to get a divorce…" she started, and at Nora's confused look, "My father is going back to Scotland. Donny's going, too, to work for him. My mother isn't going. She's staying here, so Aidan and I can stay," she revealed, and Nora wasn't sure how to react until Grace smiled, and she hugged the redhead.

"Are you okay?"

"They asked us all what we wanted, if we wanted to stay in Lima with Mom, or go back to Scotland with Dad… I couldn't leave…" Grace shook her head, and Nora smiled.

"Do you three have to move or…"

"No, the house is ours," Grace promised. "There is… one thing that has to change though." Nora waited. The news had been so good so far, something bad could come and blindside her. "My father was the one to pay for our school, and he said he wasn't going to pay anymore, so I'll have to transfer schools…"

"McKinley?" Nora begged.

"Go Titans," Grace confirmed, and Nora laughed, hugging her again. "I think this is as good a compromise as I could hope…"

"This is good, it is… Well, not the divorce part… But you know, I'm going in for Glee Club next week, you can try out with me."

"Glee Club…" Grace pondered.

"I'm still trying to convince Emily, but I'm like this close," she mimed and Grace laughed. "Come on…" she tapped her knee, trying to sound inviting. "It'll be fun. You've got the dancing part in the bag, and I've heard you since once or twice, you can do it. The three of us in there, it'll be perfect," she bowed her head.

"Maybe…" Grace told her after a beat.

"Think about it. Right now, you're heading on your own new directions…"

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	6. Sixteen

_A/N: At this point should mention that teenage Emily is to be envisioned as TGP's **Nellie** ;) Also entering this universe in the chapter here may be a couple other TGP faces, namely **Ali** and **Abraham** as Bailey and Warren respectively... Yes I'm a giant dork, hush ;) If you want to know who I'm using for everyone else, just PM or something!_

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**"Rise Up, Sun Girls, Rise Up"  
Nora, Emily, Grace [age 16]**

**6. Sixteen**

When she'd joined the Glee Club, Nora didn't want them to know who she was, but then she had soon found there was no way around it. Not only would they find out about her stepmother the Broadway star – they already knew that – but they'd find out she was something of a New Directions legacy, with her mother, stepfather, stepmother, and father all being former members, that she had grown in her mother's belly as she sat in the very same room they all gathered in to rehearse… Oh, and that their director had been at the hospital the day she was born and had helped her mother and stepfather acquire an apartment in the building he once lived in…

Will Schuester had continued to lead the New Directions, without fail, throughout the years, and Nora could see in his eyes the day she had auditioned, how it all came full circle for him. As to the rest of the club though, there was the occasional accusation of favoritism. Nora hated it, like her abilities didn't count just because of who her parents were. With time though, the storm had calmed, and so had the others.

There were fifteen of them this year. The previous graduation had greatly affected their guy-to-girl ratio, so much so that they now stood with two girls to every guy. They didn't have too much of a problem, they ran with it like they did anything.

Nora had not been the one to convince Grace to join them, not at first. She had wanted time to settle into this new life of hers, with half her family gone, the other half rebuilding, and then this shift to a new school… Nora had understood. Grace was still semi-involved, attending all their performances, getting to know some of the others… like Jay. Nora and Emily both had known him from school for years, though it was in Glee Club that he became a friend. He had met Grace through them, and the two had hit it off instantly. Before they knew it, the two of them were dating, and now Grace had another reason to join. Nora might have taken it worse if not that she could see Grace felt bad about it, like she knew to some degree she'd take it the wrong way. It had kept the blonde from overreacting, though it didn't make it any easier for her to have to see them together. It hadn't lasted very long, but the break-up had been amicable, and they remained friends.

"Alright, guys, listen up!" Will had come into the choir room, calling everyone to attention. "Settle down, please?" he called again. "Thank you. Now, this week's assignment is going to be…" he turned to the board, where the word was written.

"Duets," the group read out.

"That's right. Now, there are fifteen of you, so we're one odd. Whoever is left over will get to choose one who will do a second duet with them, alright?" he spoke as he pulled out a hat and placed it on the piano, much to the group's complaints. "Your partners will be left to chance," he picked out one slip. "First to choose, Luke." The boy in the letterman jacket stood and came to pick from the hat.

"Juliet," he called with a smile, and the tall blonde, wearing a shirt that branded her as part of McKinley's soccer team, looked just as pleased to have been paired with a friend. Grace would be called up next to pick, and they waited.

"Francesca," she announced, and the girl, not too famous for big smiles, gave a bow of the head. The next called up to choose was Marco, and a good portion of the girls braced themselves at the prospect of being picked by him. That 'honor' had gone to…

"Melody," Marco smirked, and Melody willed a smile. It wasn't that he was bad, in fact he was very good, but then that was part of the problem. Next called was Bailey, and the girl wheeled herself up, reaching to bring the hat in her lap before picking out…

"Nora," she didn't sound too thrilled, but seeing how they didn't get along, the feeling was mutual. Emily had given her a sympathetic look as she stood and moved to make her choice.

"Warren," she read out, and the boy in the Cheerios uniform looked up from his phone at the sound of his name. He looked relieved for the pick, and Emily was as well. The next up was Cheerio Lucia, and by the hopeful squeeze of her eyes it was clear she was hoping for one in particular of the four remaining. The smile that followed was good enough to announce…

"Dee!" she looked back to her fellow Cheerio, who looked properly relieved not to be paired to the remaining three. Jay had been the next one up, and got…

"Jocelyn," he looked to the last girl, who gave a simple nod, though all could see she was nervous, as usual. Once they'd work, she'd be fine.

This left one boy, in the position of picking his partner, and everyone looked to him, which didn't help. Quiet Kelly, they'd call him. He was made to stand before all of them, already a demanding task for him, and announce his choice. The longer the silence stretched, the harder it would get, but then…

"Emily," his voice was barely audible, but she did hear it, and she smiled. Even Nora and Grace smiled, knowing if anyone could get that boy talking, it'd be her. He could be good enough to lead if he took the chance, though for now he tended to stay in the back.

"Look at you, two duets," Nora smirked to Emily as they walked out of the choir room with Grace after practice.

"Warren will be easy, Kelly will need more time. Now you…" Emily looked to Nora.

"I know…" she sighed, looking to Bailey, off at her locker. "Trying real hard to find the human being in there…" she frowned. "Now you and Francesca," she turned to Grace, who smiled. "Don't just let her take the lead," she insisted, knowing how Grace was less confident of her singing abilities.

"I know," she swore.

"Next time, we need to do trios," Emily declared. "We always work better the three of us anyway."

TO BE CONCLUDED (TOMORROW)


	7. Seventeen

_A/N: Last chapter of this story. As of next cycle, there will be installments for both regular Sunshine Girls, and for this sort of spin off with teenage Nora (aka Beth), and the New Directions of circa 2025-26 ;)_

* * *

**"Rise Up, Sun Girls, Rise Up"  
Nora, Emily, Grace [age 17]**

**7. Seventeen**

The whole length of the conversation, Nora could just feel Emily's eyes on her, knowing her friend would watch intently for her reaction as the girl she had been quietly pining over for a good four to six years attempted to match her up with someone else.

It had started when Grace had come and set down her tray at their table, sitting next to Emily, across from Nora. She had a smile peeking out the corner of her lips, which Nora called her out on. "Now hear me out," she started, and Nora was seeing lights flashing danger already. "I was talking to Francesca…"

"Saito? From Glee Club?" Nora asked.

"Yes," Grace nodded. "I sort of asked her if she'd be interested in going out with you…" Emily's fork nearly slipped from her grip, while Nora flinched.

"What'd she say?" Emily asked, but Nora held up a finger for her to hold on.

"Why? Because we're both…"

"No, of course not," Grace jumped in. "But you're never really out there. And Francesca is nice, and the two or you have a lot in common. Maybe it won't work out, but what if it does?" she went on, smiling.

"Grace, I…"

"She said yes, you know…" she added, and Nora sighed. Her eyes veered to Emily, who was 'discreetly' nodding, inciting her to say yes. Nora felt stuck, the debate only giving her a headache. She didn't want to, but the way they were staring, she didn't know how to say anything but…

"Fine… Alright, fine… Why not…" she tried to sound convincing. Grace was pleased, while Emily's smirk promptly disappeared as she turned her attention to her lunch when she saw the glare Nora was giving her.

At their next Glee rehearsal, she had been led to talk to Francesca Saito and confirm a dinner on Friday night. When Friday did come, Emily had gone to Nora's house – her father and stepmother's, as they were back in Lima again – with the intention to help her. This proved necessary when she arrived and found the sulking blonde.

"I'm not going," she declared.

"Are too," Emily moved to her closet.

"What are you gonna do, make me?"

"If I have to…"

"I'd like to see you try, Holt," she laid back on her bed. Emily came around and her face appeared upside down in Nora's line of sight.

"You can't wait forever for that girl to 'come around to your team.' All you're doing is sitting there, missing out on the world."

"Hey, I've dated… couple of times…" Nora defended herself.

"And it never lasted, because you're still waiting for her." Nora didn't respond. "She's right, you know? You and Francesca, it could work." Again, silence. "I know you're going to go. Not because I made you, not even because you want to. You'll go because it'll make Grace happy." Nora frowned – she was right. "Now, come on, I'll help you get ready."

"I can do it," Nora looked away.

"You're doing a fine job of it now. Get up, or else you know what's going to happen? She's going to show up here, wanting to do it, your Grace, helping you prepare for a date with someone else."

"She's not my Grace, and you're coming real close to a smackdown here," she pointed her finger up and Emily took her arm, pulling her up.

"Good, that was the idea. Go, shower," she pushed her out toward the hall, catching on to rumblings as she went. Emily knew how stubborn she could get about this, and sometimes stating the facts was the only way to get her moving again.

While Nora had been showering, Emily had raided her closet, debating by herself as to which outfit would be best, putting some back, pulling out new options… When the blonde returned, she was faced with the final three, though Emily was strongly pushing for number two. Nora was still just kind of going along with it because she had to, so she chose number two. She fixed her makeup while Emily did her hair. When she was done, Nora stood, ready for the night.

"Try and have fun?" Emily begged as she sent her off. Nora gave her a half-hearted smile. "Try," Emily whispered, and the smile cranked up. "Better. Now go, and call me after."

They were to meet at Breadstix. Her parents would say that it hadn't changed in all these years, though they were split on whether this was a good or bad thing. When she arrived, Francesca was already there, waiting outside. She had come into Glee Club two years ago, same as Nora and Emily. They didn't spend too much time together outside of Glee-related events, but even then, she did know the others weren't wrong about the potential for something to happen between them.

"Hey," she greeted her.

"Hi," Francesca bowed her head before indicating for them to head into the restaurant. They got a table, received menus, and after a brief period of silent browsing, it was Francesca who broke the silence. "You don't want to be here, do you?"

"No, of course I do," Nora looked up. "It's just… weird, I mean we sit in that room together all the time, now we're here and… I haven't really done this much," she admitted.

"With a girl?" Francesca asked.

"Ever," Nora corrected, and the other girl nodded. "Just… I think three, four if I count… Three… Two and a half," she frowned, and Francesca laughed, the first time Nora could really recall hearing her do so.

"Can I ask?"

"She liked the movie, I didn't, told her as much, and she told me to leave."

"Sounds fair," Francesca replied. Now that the silence had broken, it seemed easier to keep talking. "Wasn't sure what to make of it when Grace brought it up, to be honest."

"Yeah, I know the feeling…" Nora's mind drifted, and her fingers reached to her left wrist by reflex, seeking the threads of a bracelet Grace had made for her four years before… but it wasn't there. She'd left it on her dresser before leaving, as she'd done on her other two point five dates, without really thinking, but that night it was harder not to notice. Grace had a matching one on her wrist.

"But I guess you never know…" Francesca told her, and Nora looked back up.

"Yeah…"

When she'd gotten home that night, Hannah was asleep, her stepmother was down in the basement working on some songs… Her father was sitting in the living room, watching television. He held his hand up without looking, his signal for her to come over. She plopped on the couch at his side, and he placed his arm around her shoulders. "Did you have fun?"

"It was okay… It didn't suck," she appraised, breathing out… Her father could always make her feel at ease just holding her this way.

"Have I met this girl?" he asked.

"She had the hair up in the middle at Regionals last year, remember?" she mimed. "Reminded you of when you had that Mohawk?"

"Oh, right," he nodded. "Well, hope it works out for you."

When she'd gotten up to her room, she had two messages waiting, more like status requests. To Grace she said she had a good time. To Emily she said she didn't know what to think, and that was the truth. Putting her phone on her dresser, she picked up the bracelet she'd left behind and slipped it back on her wrist. She knew Emily was right, deep down. If that meant she could just forget though…

X

At their next Glee practice, waiting for the others to arrive, Grace had smiled and waved to Francesca when she walked in. "Hey," she nodded.

"How was it? Friday, with Nora?" Grace asked, curious.

"It went good," Francesca told her as she sat. "Once we got talking."

"Are you going out again?" Grace smiled. Francesca chuckled.

"I wouldn't mind, really… But I don't think it's going to happen."

"Why not?"

"Because I think she's got it bad for someone else," Francesca explained, looking forward. Grace blinked, surprised.

"Are you sure? Who?" Francesca may have considered herself brutally honest, but this was a line she wouldn't cross.

"I don't know, maybe I'm wrong." But now Nora was arriving, and when their eyes met, Grace paused… Maybe she knew… Maybe it was her…

THE END


End file.
